TV ads to turn down soon

Isn't there a law about the TV stations turning up the volume when a commercial comes on? If not, there should be. We sure are tired of the TV blasting us out of our chairs. It just makes me not want their product.

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MailTribune.com

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Posted Dec. 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 11, 2012 at 2:25 AM

Posted Dec. 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 11, 2012 at 2:25 AM

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Isn't there a law about the TV stations turning up the volume when a commercial comes on? If not, there should be. We sure are tired of the TV blasting us out of our chairs. It just makes me not want their product.

— Sandee S., Medford

You're going to like the sound of this, Sandee.

There is a regulation going into effect this week that aims to turn down the volume on the loud television commercials that millions of Americans see, and hear, every day.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, is a set of Federal Communications Commission rules on television volume taking effect Thursday.

The FCC adopted the rules last December, but gave television providers one year to become compliant.

The rules state that the volume of commercials must be no louder than the average volume of the program they accompany.

Canada passed similar regulations that went into effect in September.

As the new rules take effect here, the FCC is encouraging viewers to report any particularly loud commercials to help the FCC determine whether its new regulations are working.

Complaints should include the time the commercial played, the channel, a description of the commercial and whether it played on a television station you received through an antenna or a digital provider.

Complaints can be filed through the FCC call center at 1-888-225-5322 or sent to Federal Communications Commission Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, 445 12th St. S.W., Washington, DC 20554.

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